Pascal

6. Why do we prefer the hunt to the capture?

Because we want to keep ourselves busy and diverted from the truth. And doing the hunt keeps us busy but when we capture our goals we realize that these goals are not what we truly want and long for. Okay so now what.

8. What is Pascal's Wager?3

Betting your life on whether or not God exists There are two binary relationships at play: God exists and you believe. God either does exist or doesn't; there is no middle ground. And, you either believe or don't; there is no middle ground. Moreover, life is a wager in itself, so you cannot refuse to wager. If you don't think you're wagering anything, Pascal believes that's denying the existence of God. Wager that God exists and live your life accordingly If you win (God exists), you win everything (both a human life and eternal life) You refuse certain finite pleasures, but you still live a good human life. If you lose (God doesn't exist), you lose nothing (you win a human life) Wager that God doesn't exist and live your life accordingly If God does exist, you lose everything (both a human life and eternal life) If God doesn't exist, you lose a human life Even not making a decision is a decision This wager isn't trying to prove God's existence: It shows that some of our biggest decisions are based on probabilities Nothing is clear and distinct; there is no certitude, so you make your best choice and hope for the best Appeals to reason, but not Cartesian reason The wager is for people who don't know where the stand in terms of faith Returns to the question "How ought I to live my life?"

10. *What is the significance of Christ for Pascal?

Christ redeems our wretchedness.

14. What is Rousseau distinction between "revealed religion" (Christianity for example) and civil religion? Which is more important to the well being of the polis?3

Civil religion is more important bc it leads to ppl being able to love the city and be able to sacrifice themselves for the good of the city Revealed religion: puts your duty to God first and not towards the city/community. Ex: christians, don't care about suffering in this life, look forward to God

8. Why is civil society the problem for Rousseau?.2

Civil society enslaves people to their passions(?) aquinas going back to aristotle passions/desires It weakens people and makes them follow their desires

5. Hobbes maintains that it is out of fear of punishment that we obey the laws. For Rousseau, what makes one obey the "general will?"

For Rousseau we obey the general will because we are obeying our own laws

5. How would Rousseau respond to Locke's assertion that the acquisition of property is natural and indeed rational?5

Locke is basing his state of nature off of civil society where property is something that exists in the state of nature. Rousseau would argue that the concept of property is a man-made conception that does not come about until the creation of civil society. Rousseau = the first person to say, "this is my property" and have others believe him is the true founder of civil society Rousseau argues we are enslaved by desires→ would disagree with Locke in that the acquisition of property is another desire we're enslaved by Rousseau didn't include property in the state of nature because there was enough resources so they didn't need to fight for resources

15. Explain what Rousseau means by "A society of true Christians would no longer be a society of men." Is a "Christian republic" possible

Not possible to have a society of Christians on earth

2. What does Rousseau mean when he talks about human nature in terms of its limitless perfectibility? Would Plato and Aristotle agree?3

Plato has his theory of forms and everything that's living is moving towards that For aristotle: we have similar concepts of virtue and excellence that you can ty and order yourself to embody so we have (human good and human actions) more Rousseau's bringing back the ideas

`4. What are the virtues which Rousseau derives from the human capacity for compassion? For Rousseau, how are these related to reason?2

Reason corrupts capacity for pity because there are competing goods at play so you can rationalize your way out of it Reason does not exist in state of nature, it is introduced once in civil society

13. What does Rousseau say about Hobbes' view of religion? Was he correct?4

Religion is a tool But religion has a different role to play Civil religion for rousseau makes ppl free Religion for the leviathan keeps ppl subservient scared/living in fear of a higher power that will punish them

9. What, according to Pascal, is the problem with self-love? Why does he think the aversion to truth is inseparable from self-love?

Self love in the bad sense... ignore our wretchedness... prevents us from seeing the truth/our wretchedness

6. To what does everyone have a right? Does this differ from Locke's view of property? How?

Self- legislation Liberty ® vs license (L)

1. What famous statement opens Rousseau's On the Social Contract? Is it possible to view Rousseau as someone who is trying to reconcile the opposed views of Plato and Machiavelli?3

Sure Why would i follow anyone as wicked as i am How can we get ppl to sacrifice themselves for the good of the city ????????????

8. Is there a difference between the "general will" and the "will of all?" Can the "general will" ever be wrong?

The general will is infallible because it is legitimate and is when all of the citizen's interests are the same, whereas the will of all is when everyone chooses the common good, but for different self-interests.

2. Explain what Pascal means when he states that the heart has reasons of which reason does not know. 3

The heart is integral to our reason. The heart in fact perfects our reason and we need both faith and reason in order to perfect ourselves and to truly understand. The heart has motivations upon which our reason has nothing on, it acts in such a way that it will influence our reason. Reason is limited in its capability because we are finite, fallen creatures (THINK Augustine and Aquinas). Reason alone cannot perceive the infinite. The heart (faith) can help reason overcome its natural limitations even though reason cannot perceive this gap.

4. Who is the sovereign. It is the same as Hobbes? What is the difference between the "general will" and the "private will?"

The people are sovereign, whereas for Hobbes it is an elected leader.

1. Explain what Pascal means when he states that human beings are both wretched and great

We are capable of being on either side of the extreme but yet cannot be one without the other.

6. What does Rousseau see as the first step toward causing equality?2

We enter civil society as an accident Communication → help each other → dependence → inequality among people (including b/w men and women), family units → private property

3. For Rousseau, to whom do we give over our rights in forming a state? Do some rights remain private?

We retain our rights. WE are our own sovereigns

Does Pascal think diversion can bring happiness?

We spend time diverting ourselves from what's happening now→ cannot bring us happiness

7. Given Rousseau's understanding of the state of nature, why would we want to form ourselves politically through a social contract?

We unintentionally go out of state of nature and go to civil society and rousseau thinks that civil society is bad so that's why we should go into a social contract :)

What does he mean when he states that "there is greatness in knowing one is wretched

When he says that there is greatness in knowing one is wretched, he means that part of what makes us great is acknowledging our flaws and recognizing that we aren't these perfect beings.

9. What is the best size for the state? Why?

smol

2. What is Rousseau's' response to Hobbes that for a commonwealth to be formed, we must give up our natural liberty and sovereignty?4

He would respond that a commonwealth can be formed while maintaining through direct democracy. We keep our natural liberty and sovereignty in society by direct democracy. When we act as the common good toward the general will and create laws, we become self-legislators and become our own sovereign and therefore keep our natural liberty. Censorship/education can help the people choose the common good as the general will.

3. Pascal claims we have a dual nature, and that we must both hate and love ourselves. Why?

Humans are both angelic and beastly

1. What is Rousseau's notion of the state of nature? Is his position similar to that of Hobbes and Locke? If not, what are the differences?4

Humans are not social by nature. Humans are noble savages- innocent but uncivilized. He is the first thinker from the second semester to offer a major critique of modernity. He wants to recover the lost tradition of the ancients of the life of virtue, while at the same time accepting the moderns' conception of the state of nature.

How is this related to his image of us as thinking reeds?'

In terms of a thinking reed, Pascal means that like a reed is frail and flimsy, swinging back and forth between wretched and great. So are people in that we are slaves to our desires in the sense that a reed is a slave to the wind. It cannot move as it chooses to, rather it will move as the wind makes it move.

7. What are the two infinities? How does man stand in relation to them?

Infinitely vast and infinitely smol and we're in the middle

3. Compare and contrast Rousseau's' distinction between natural and civilized man to Pascal's distinction between pre and post-Fall humanity.2

Innocence of a pre-fall person = the natural person Civil society & post-fall = a lot more wretchedness, as you live your life in comparison to others, wanting to bring them down and yourself up.

5. Why do we seek diversion?

It is most difficult for us to live in the present/ we feel the need to distract ourselves from our own wretchedness